Speed of a machine may be controlled as the machine travels downhill or down a grade. U.S. Pat. No. 8,401,753 (hereinafter the '753 patent) describes a method for automatically controlling the downhill speed of a machine. According to the '753 patent, the method may include establishing a target machine speed based on a current machine speed and determining whether at least one trigger condition including a grade greater than a predetermined threshold has been satisfied. If satisfied, the method may activate a control system to control at least one of a powertrain retarder and a change in a transmission gear to prevent exceeding the target machine speed.